About our Congress Watch division

Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division champions consumer interests before the U.S. Congress and serves as a government watchdog. We engage in public education and advocacy, and are focused on the following:

- Ensuring access to the courts to hold corporations accountable for wrongdoing. Our work in this area covers forced arbitration, whistleblower protections, medical liability, preserving state consumer laws (pre-emption) and court secrecy.

- Strengthening our democracy by exposing and combating the harmful impact of money in politics. Our work in this area focuses on money in politics, government ethics, lobbying reform and open government.

About our Energy Program

Public Citizen’s Energy Program works to combat climate change by promoting safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy. We fight to protect citizens from the dangers posed by nuclear power and champion market transparency and strong consumer protections to ensure that people are not plagued by market manipulation. We also provide energy activists around the country with resources they need to secure a reliable and sustainable energy future.

About our Global Trade Watch

The mission of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch is to ensure that in this era of globalization, a majority have the opportunity to enjoy America's promises: economic security, a clean environment, safe food, medicines and products, access to quality affordable services such as health care and the exercise of democratic decision-making about the matters that affect their lives.

About our Health Research Group

Public Citizen’s Health Research Group promotes research-based, system-wide changes in health-care policy and drug safety. We work to have unsafe or ineffective drugs and medical devices banned or re-labeled, to reduce worker exposures to hazardous chemicals and generally to curb industry’s influence over regulators. We educate the public about dangerous drugs and drug interactions through our newsletters and WorstPills.org, and push medical boards to do a better job disciplining doctors. We are an ardent champion of a single-payer, Medicare-for-all system.

About our Litigation Group

Public Citizen Litigation Group is the arm of the organization that functions as a public interest law firm. Our attorneys litigate cases at all levels of the federal and state court systems. We specialize in health and safety regulation, access to courts, consumer rights, open government, and the First Amendment, including Internet free speech. These efforts are pursued through litigation and through programs such as the Supreme Court Assistance Project (SCAP) and the Freedom of Information Clinic (FOIC). We also provide legal advice and assistance to Public Citizen researchers and lobbyists, to congressional staffers, and to staff at other public interest organizations.

Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen.

Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site.

You may make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., Public Citizen Foundation, or both. Contributions to both organizations are used to support our public interest work. However, each Public Citizen component will use only the funds contributed directly to it to carry out the activities it conducts as part of Public Citizen’s mission. Only gifts to the Foundation are tax-deductible. Individuals who want to join Public Citizen should make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., which will not be tax deductible.

To become a member of Public Citizen, click here. To become a member and make an additional tax-deductible donation to Public Citizen Foundation, click here.